Corrupting Influence
by Persiana13
Summary: Though all power eventually corrupts people, it has a more lasting effect on others. Tenth Story in the Persiana-verse.
1. Chapter 1

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 1: A New Struggle 

Loki was the god of mischief. Having had his fill of being a woman and confusing his enemies, it was time the son of the frost giant returned to his more masculine form, to further vex his enemies, and his brother Thor. The adopted son of Odin was in a dark dimension on Asgard, staring into a pool of water. This pool was actually a sort of magical window; a way to observe events that were happening on Midgard. Since discovering this new region of Midgard, and these new heroes, Loki had been delighted to find that many in the realm regarded him as a myth and not real. This served his plans well; who could attribute a myth to causing real destruction? Everyone would be blaming the other for the misfortune caused, yet no one would know it was indeed Loki. The idea suited the trickster god well, and he would enjoy making mortals suffer with his mischievous pranks.

At present, he was watching a realm called Apokalips. The hellish planet reminded Loki of the fires of Surtur and, Loki watched the turmoil on the planet. Pain and suffering were a way of life on the wastes of Apokalips, all with the intent of serving a being known as Darkseid. Darkseid has since long been imprisoned in the sensory matrix field generator. Now, a struggle was occurring on the planet as to who would be the next ruler, and numerous factions were fighting for control. (1)

Loki looked about many of the factions, from Granny Goodness, the headmistress of the Female Furies, to Grayven, the illegitimate son of Darkseid, to numerous rebel forces looking to take control and liberate the people from any sort of tyranny. However, one being that caught Loki's eye was that of Mantis.  
Mantis was a New God, much like his brethren. However, he was an ego-maniac that was as powerful as Darkseid and could easily have challenged him for leadership. He was a New God capable of altering the molecular structure of matter, and even disintegrate it with a touch of anti-matter. Though highly intelligent and crafty, Mantis was politically weak and could not muster a lot of support. Darkseid had Desaad build a special prison to contain Mantis, but Loki saw an opportunity. The god of mischief rubbed his hands evilly,

"Oh, this will be perfect. The thing I need to vex Thor and the mortals of Midgard forever!"

With that, he disappeared in a brilliant light.

Mantis was not liked by many on Apokalips, but Darkseid allowed him to further his megalomania as long as it did not deter from the ruler's attempts to find the Anti-Life Equation. Mantis, believing himself to be the supreme New God, had attempted to destroy New Genesis by mutating the insect colonies and turning them on Highfather. However, Highfather forced the insects and Mantis to return to Apokalips and proceeded to decimate several of Darkseid's forces. Darkseid was displeased with this, but, knowing that Mantis was possibly the only life form that was not affected by the Omega beams, had Mantis banished to the deepest, darkest level of the hellish planet, a place even the Furies and Granny Goodness dare not go. It was within this prison that a horrible creature lurked down there, a creature that could unleash his mental abilities on a victim and trap them within their own mind. It was here that Mantis, the megalomaniac, was attempting to keep his distance. Thanks to his insane mind, it was difficult for the creature to get a solid lock, but, it was only a matter of time. Mantis had barely slept or eaten since his confinement, but, it was taking his toll. Soon, it would not matter how insane he was; Mantis would be subject to the deranged creature's appetite for sadism.

Currently, Mantis was hiding in a corner, attempting to find a way out. Loki hovered in the air,

"Greetings, foolish mortal."

The New God glared at the Asgardian deity,

"How dare you address me as a foolish mortal! I am Mantis, the most powerful of the New Gods! I would dare to challenge Darkseid himself if he were still alive!"

Loki said,

"You are convinced he is dead? Pity. For all your power, you have yet to escape from your own prison. I wonder, though if it was a waste of my time to even appear here."

The trickster loved playing this game. He would appear, and then seemingly disappear as he was about to help some deranged soul. Mantis said,

"Wait, I need help! You must help me!"

The adopted son of Odin asked,

"And, why should I help you? What could you possibly offer me that I would want?"

Mantis shook his head,

"Name your price. It will be anything you desire."

Loki nodded,

"Very well. If I help you escape, will you destroy the Justice League and my accursed brother Thor?"

Mantis had heard of the League and how they vexed him many times. If he escaped and destroyed the League, then, everyone on Apokalips would be worshiping him as they did Darkseid. A twisted, insane grin appeared on Mantis' face as he said,

"Yes! I shall!"

Loki snapped his fingers and, in a flash, they both disappeared. They found themselves on Earth and Loki explained,

"The League will not be easy to defeat, Mantis. They are many, and you are but one."

Mantis hissed,

"I do not need help! I am more powerful than Darkseid, and I shall defeat them all single-handedly!"  
With that, he flew off.

Little did either one of them realize that a dark force was watching the events unfold…

Next Chapter:  
Mantis attempts a confrontation with the Justice League, but runs into Crisis first. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	2. Chapter 2

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 2: Underestimated 

Mantis appeared through the boom tube portal and realized he was in Metropolis, home to Superman, the leader of the Justice League. It was about six months since Crucifer's defeat and the League had already established a new base; this time on the moon, and it was not manned by any civilians. The League learned that lesson the hard way. Mantis looked about, cackling maniacally,

"Now, if I destroy Superman, then, people on Apokolips will see I am fit to rule them!"  
He looked about, but then heard a loud crash behind him. The insane New God decided to investigate what was going on.

Not too far away, Leon Maxwell, the red-eyed commando Crisis, was just getting up from a serious blow to the head. He looked up and saw Guy Gardner, the red-headed Green Lantern, hovering above the streets of the city. He spat,

"Come on, kid! Get up! I'm not done with you yet."

Leon rubbed his mouth and said flatly,

"Are you this intent on stopping me, even after I destroyed the yellow ring?"  
It was clear that several League members did not like the Howling Commandos, and some even blamed Crisis for the deaths of all those civilians. There had been serious questions on how much Leon knew when he knew it, and, all along, the red-eyed swordsman said that he only knew about it five minutes before it happened. Still, despite his attempts to try and make the League see his own way, and be as honest about it as possible, some members decided to take it upon themselves and vent their frustrations out on him.

One of them being Guy Gardner. Another being Big Barda.

Barda had her weapon drawn and the former Female Fury barreled in hard. Crisis dodged it and sprinted to the other side of the street quickly. He wanted to fight back, and he was trying to avoid making the situation any worse than it already had. Leon shook his head,

"Is there any way I could convince you not to attack me?"  
He ducked a swing of Barda's Nega-rod and Crisis shrugged,

"I'll take that as a no."

He landed a powerful uppercut, flattening Barda into a wall across the street.

Mantis looked at the fight and shook his head,

"Fools. Perhaps if I kill them, then Superman will come."

He then dropped down in the middle of the action, slamming his elbow into Guy Gardner,

"Away from me, fools! I am Mantis, the soon-to-be new ruler of Apokolips! Kneel before me, humans!"  
The arrogant Green Lantern looked up and shook his head,

"Oh, yeah! Beware me power!"

He created a construct of a football team and all of the players ran at Mantis, hitting him hard. Barda got up and saw the insane maniac and a look of dread appeared on her face. She barked out,

"Lantern, disengage your attack!"  
Guy looked at her,

"What for?"

Suddenly, the football team construct was destroyed with a wave of Mantis' hand. Mantis then cackled,

"Bah! Foolish humans! Your petty tricks cannot stop the great Mantis from ruling Earth and Apokolips!"  
He then raised his hand again, this time creating a small explosion of matter near Guy Gardner's body. Thankfully, Guy had a personal force field up and he looked at Barda,

"I take it you know this nut!"

Barda nodded, growing visibly unnerved,

"His name is Mantis. He is as strong as Darkseid. Be careful, he can destroy you with just a touch."

Crisis pulled out his lightsaber,

"Well, in that case…"

He sped around Mantis and delivered a swipe of the hard light attack. Though Mantis screamed, it did not seem to damage him at all, though he was in great pain. Mantis turned around and roared,

"You shall now pay for that!"

Leon barely got out of the way of Mantis' touch and watched as Mantis touched a mailbox and exploded. The object seemed to warp and then explode, creating a mini-space of antimatter before disappearing. Leon got behind Barda and Gardner,

"I hope you two have a better idea. My light saber can't hurt him."

Barda gripped her nega-rod tightly,

"Let me try something."

She hefted the weapon and slammed it down on the ground hard, causing the street to split and swallow Mantis up. But, as the three of them looked down, Mantis was nowhere to be found. Barda shook her head,

"The slime has disappeared. But, it is strange."

Leon looked down,

"What do you mean?"

The warrior from Apokolips said,  
"Mantis could not teleport, even from his own prison. I wonder who got him out."

The red-eyed member of the Howling Commandos looked at the two League members,

"Well, if I were you, I'd check in on it. Now, if we're all done repaving the streets, I'd like to leave."  
As he turned to leave, Gardner called out,

"Yeah, run away like the little cowardly bitch you are!"

Barda looked at the Green Lantern,

"Let him go, Lantern. This is far more important. If Mantis is loose, then the world will know insanity on an unprecedented scale."

**Meanwhile… **

Mantis was fuming as he paced about,  
"No! No! No! I had them in my clutches!"  
Loki rolled his eyes,

"Of course you did, Mantis. You had them right where you wanted them while you were on your back."

He said,

"No, there is something missing from all of this. Something we have to consider when fighting the League."

"What you need is balance."

Both of them turned to a man dressed in a dark robe, holding what appeared to be scales. He said simply,

"Allow me to help you bring balance to what is required to defeat the League."

Loki asked,

"Who are you? You are no mere mortal."

Mantis shook his head,

"That's Libra. An inexperienced New God and product of Apokolips."

Libra stared at them,

"And, you forget, master of Anti-life, the equation Lord Darkseid sought so hard to find and could not."

The god of mischief raised his eyebrow skeptically,

"And, how have you found such a method?"

Libra cryptically said,

"The knowledge that Darkseid would have gained from this would have thrown the universe into a cosmic imbalance, something that does not sit well with me."

He extended his hand,

"Allow the three of us to form a new partnership, and, together, we will bring true balance to the League in ways that it must be."

The two other villains both looked at each other, and sinister smirks came across their faces…

Next Chapter:

Both the Howling Commandos and the Justice League try to review these new events. Plus, a look into the deranged mind of Libra. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 3: Plans in Motion 

The new Watchtower was significantly more expanded than the satellite that orbited the Earth. This Watchtower was built on the surface of the moon. In addition to the castle-like structure on the surface, there were numerous tunnels and passageways that weaved their way in a labyrinth-like fashion, indicating emergency tunnels and escape routes should Watchtower ever be compromised. Batman had led the construction of the new base, and put in some defenses that only he knew about.

At present, Barda and Gardner were both reporting to the Justice League about what had happened in Metropolis. Superman had gotten to the scene a little late for the action, but knew about Crisis being sighted in his city,

"Now, tell me again? A threat worse than Darkseid?"

Barda nodded,

"Yes. There were many stories; stories of a madman on Apokolips that even Darkseid had to worry about. Mantis is a megalomaniac with destructive powers to match. And, even though this is only a whisper, it is said that Mantis has been the only person ever to outright oppose Darkseid on Apokolips and survive a head on confrontation."

Scott Free, the master escape artist Mister Miracle, nodded,

"Yes. I too have heard of this Mantis. But, the prison he was in…was it not inhabited by a creature called the Lump?"  
Wonder Woman shook her head,

"What is that?"

Barda explained,

"Whenever Granny Goodness had children that were too strong-willed for even her to break, she gave them to the Lump. It is a perversion of science; a telepathic creature, with no form to speak of, that can torture someone within its own warped mind. It creates sadistic images, impressing its own will of insanity upon the subject until it is only a mere vegetable. How Mantis escaped it, or even held out for as long as he did is still a mystery."

Batman narrowed his eyes at Gardner,

"And, what were you two doing in Metropolis in the first place? Did it have something to do with Crisis?"

Gardner slammed his fist down,

"Oh, come off it, Bats! Everyone in this damn tower knows Crisis is responsible for this! I was just going to make him see it my way!"  
Scott looked at his wife,

"Barda, is this true?"

The former Female Fury looked away, remaining silent on the issue. But, Scott knew his wife. That look; that look of cold rage, and yet, sadness and a desire for retribution. Barda wanted someone to pay for the people that died in Watchtower, and her belief was that Leon and the Howling Commandos were responsible, despite what the black ops group said happened.

Barry Allen, the scientist and hero Flash, asked,

"Were you going to kill him?"

Barda replied coldly,

"Would you care if I did?"

She then walked away, almost as if she was sick of the patience she had to answer such a question. Scott followed her out of there. Superman looked to the Dark Knight,

"What was that about?"  
Batman looked back at the Man of Steel,

"I want to know where everyone stands on this issue once and for all. The last thing we need is to let our emotions get caught up in a battle and one of us gets a little overzealous."

Hal Jordan, the Air Force pilot and Green Lantern, nodded,

"I can see your point, Bats. But, it's not like we don't know where Crisis is at all times, right? I'm sure you can use your Bat-magic or something to keep tabs on him."  
Batman said simply,

"He found it. Again."

Hal blinked,

"He did? Damn, that precognition comes in handy. Of course, you can bet right now, he's talking with the other Howling Commandos about what's going on."

**Meanwhile… **

Leon said,

"That's the story. The League is going to be busy dealing with this new Mantis threat."

Fury looked at the team,

"There's not much to go on. Lots of insane maniacs must be trying to get to Darkseid's throne after he disappeared."

Troia nodded,

"I agree. We should let the League handles this. Our priority now should be finding the Red Skull and the remnants of his Axis America."

Bea da Costa, the commando Fire, walked in, carrying some files,

"I have been following the money and, though it has been routed through several bank accounts, there was an account in Brazil that was just accessed twelve hours ago."

Deadpool quipped,

"Nazis? Brazil? Isn't that a movie or something where they tried cloning or something?"

Punisher rolled his eyes,

"How very astute of you."  
Leon said,

"We've got a contact we can use. Her name is Mirage."

Arsenal got a little uneasy about that,  
"So, we're going to go in, just like that?"

Fire smirked,

"Why not? It's going to be fun. I've been meaning to go back home for a while, anyway."

Fury said,

"Commandos, move out."

**Meanwhile… **

Mantis, Loki, and Libra were sitting in what appeared to be Libra's hideout. Numerous paintings adorned the old hideaway, most of the paintings depicting scales of balance in some form or another. Libra was sitting at the head of the table, explaining,

"Now, gentlemen, before we engage the League, we must show balance in ourselves and our team. We ourselves, though powerful, are few."  
Mantis shouted,

"It's because of you! I am not weak! I can create anti-matter with a mere touch!"

Loki, however, cleverly deduced what Libra was saying,

"I see. Methinks Libra has a plan of recruitment, Mantis. Recruitment that will balance ourselves and our standings against the League."

Libra nodded,

"The trickster is right. The League cannot always win every encounter they come across. Sometimes, they must lose. And, to do that, we will make them fight the one thing they cannot hope to defeat. Themselves."

Mantis and Loki both looked at the villain and Mantis asked,

"And, how does one do that, exactly?"

Libra explained,

"You and I are both from Apokolips, are we not? Tell me, what do you think, Mantis, of your own army of League members, twisted and turned to show the corrupting influence Apokolips has on everyone?"

Mantis thought for a moment before a gleefully evil smile appeared,

"Oh, that is going to be so delicious! My own army!"

Loki nodded, understanding perfectly,

"I see it now. Yes, it could work."

Mantis screamed,

"Of course it will work! I am Mantis, rightful ruler of Apokolips! No one shall get in my way! No one!"

Though they were in agreement now, one could not help but wonder how long this alliance of mutual standings would last, lest each one had plans for Earth once the League was out of the way…

Next Chapter:

The Commandos head down to Brazil to see if they can locate the Red Skull and the remaining members of Axis America. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	4. Chapter 4

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Marvel or DC. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 4: Hunting History 

Miriam Delgado was the metahuman Mirage. She was a lowly street urchin living in one of the neighborhoods in Brazil, trying to raise her young daughter Julienne, when she was thrust upon an undercover assignment by Amanda Waller, a high ranking official within the espionage and intelligence community. Having disguised herself as a lieutenant, and, under the duress because of her daughter's disappearance, Mirage completed the assignment and was reunited with her daughter with the help of Crisis.

Presently, Miriam was working with what she could with her powers in one of the least noble professions; prostitution. She had just finished with a 'client' at a wealthy hotel when the bartender passed her a note. Miriam looked at it and her eyes widened in surprise. She discretely put the note away and, with a flick of her black hair, the illusion-making meta-human made her way to the back of the restaurant.

There were a few seats in the back and, two of those seats were currently in use. Fire, disguised in her human form with a flashy green dress, and Crisis, disguised in a business suit, were sitting and having a drink. Leon looked up from his seat and saw Miriam lower the illusion she had on herself before putting it back up. He adjusted his glasses,

"Hello, Miriam."

Bea studied the woman for a moment,

"So, you are Miriam Delgado, the woman known as Mirage in these parts."  
Leon offered a seat to the woman, and Mirage sat down,

"I have heard of you as well, Ms. Da Costa. I am sort of surprised to see you back in Brazil. But, you must be homesick."

Bea smirked bitterly,

"I assure you, this is not about me, although, for what I read of you, you're career path is a little more…risky, shall we say?"

Leon looked at the two of them,

"Is there going to be a problem, ladies?"

Both women looked at Leon and then nodded. The red-eyed commando said,

"That's better. Now, Miriam, I wouldn't be asking unless this was important. We're tracking down the remnants of Axis America after their stint in Kasnia, and we could use your help."

He placed four photographs of the villains they were looking for. He pointed to one,

"This one, the Red Skull; he's the leader. The others are some of his stronger lieutenants."

Mirage studied them for a moment,

"No, I'm sorry. I would definitely remember if I did see them."

She then said,

"But, there was something I did find unusual."

At this, both Howling Commando members listened intently. Delgado continued,

"Well, a few weeks ago, there was this man that came to the local neighborhood. Well, as you know, these locals are distrustful of strangers and were ready to kill them. That was when one of them said something and then, they all backed away and allowed them through. The local militias seemed to know who they were, or at least recognized them from some place."

Leon shook his head,

"This is going to be a problem. Do you know where they were headed, or what they said?"

Mirage answered,

"No, but I only know this because Julienne told me so."

Bea said,

"We will need to speak with her."

At this, Miriam glared darkly at the green-haired woman,

"No. I won't let you near her."

She looked disheartened and was about to erupt when she inhaled and exhaled deeply, calming herself. Mirage then said,

"Forgive me. It is just that I am a little upset about what happened with Julienne the last time, and I do not want her involved with anything like this."

Bea seemed to soften a little,

"I understand. But, we need to talk to her."

Leon then offered a suggestion,

"What if I talk to her?"

Mirage looked at the red-eyed powerhouse,

"You?"

Leon nodded,

"Sure. She's seen me before. She has no reason to be afraid of me. Of course, the only other person she's seen is Deadpool, and we all know how that'll go if he's in the room."

Mirage chuckled at that,

"I suppose so. All right, you can speak to her."

Crisis smirked,

"Thank you. And, once we are finished, we'll move you two to a safe house."

Mirage asked,

"You have one here, in Brazil?"

Bea said,

"Well, let us just say that, while we have been talking, it is being taken care of."

**Meanwhile… **

At that precise moment that that conversation was occurring, a fierce gun battle was taking place on the other side of the city. Punisher, War Machine, and Deadpool had broken through the front gates of one of the more prominent drug cartels on the South American continent and were dealing with a group of heavily armed guards. However, these three proved that the guards had no idea what they were facing. They had been accustomed to fighting police, and other local militias just as armed as themselves, but, three men who had seen their fair share of war and killing, battle-tested and battle-hardened men who had fought worse than the guard had ever comprehended…it was effectively a one-sided fight.

Deadpool emptied a clip from his machine gun,

"Yeah! Hurray! I finally get to kill something!"

Castle took a position near a fountain and used it as cover as he picked off people left and right. The whole mansion was on alert status with guards pouring out of every door of the compound.

Meanwhile, Fury was leading Satana, Arsenal, Persiana and Troia inside the mansion, to find the head honcho of the drug family and get him to surrender. They were going to be needing this place at any time and need to secure it fast. Fury said,

"Fan out and find them! I want them hunted down!"

Satana saw some gunmen coming her way and feigned a yawn,

"Oh, please. Really?"

She raised her hand and mystical chains wrapped around them, causing the guards to lose their guns. The chains burned hot against their skin and the sorceress smirked lecherously,

'Who's in the mood for spicy food?"

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Troia were moving on the second floor of the mansion. Troia deflected bullets with her bracelets and launched beams of dazzling energy. Though they were not as powerful as they were if it had been nightfall, they were strong enough to kill. Arsenal covered his girlfriend by firing his bow and arrows at whatever moved,

"You all right?"

The princess did not even turn around as she smacked a guard that tried to come at her with a knife,

"Do you say that to all the women in your life, or just me?"

Arsenal looked back,

"Well, you do have a cute ass."

Troia turned around, holing a knife in her hand. She then threw it at Arsenal. Roy froze for a moment, until the knife sailed past the red-head's head and into another guard. Roy sighed in relief,

"I'm glad you weren't aiming that thing at me."

Troia mockingly sulked,

"My aim was a little off. Next time, I'll be sure not to miss you."  
She then watched as Roy tried to respond, but, when she saw no response, she kissed him and smacked his backside, a sneaky smile on her face.

Eventually, everyone managed to find the drug dealer and cornered him in his office. The drug dealer himself was on his knees, glaring at Fury, angrily yelling in his Brazilian accent,

"Do you know what you're doing? You're messing with Intergang!"  
Fury then executed the drug dealer and coldly said,

"Disable all the phones and get this place secure. Hide any bodies, and grab any weapons. This is temporary until we get a new lead or until the Red Skull comes to us."

His voice was like ice. The one-eyed solider knew this had to end, and it had to end quickly…

Next Chapter:

A talk with Julienne reveals some startling information on the Red Skull. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	5. Chapter 5

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 5: The Hunt is On 

Fire and Crisis were now sitting in a hotel room where Miriam had kept Julienne while she had been 'working'. The little girl was staring at Leon's eyes and she tilted her head slightly. Leon smirked,

"Hey, there. How are you doing?"

Julienne did not respond at first, but she did know who she was talking to. Miriam spoke in Portuguese,

"Julienne, Leon needs to know what you saw that day."

Julienne replied back in Portuguese,

"The man wearing the big coat?"

Bea shook her head,

"A man wearing a big coat? Julie, what do you mean?"  
Julienne explained,

"The man was wearing a big coat. It looked warm, but he wanted to wear it. Then, he handed something to the barrio man and allowed him inside."

Miriam relayed all of this information to Leon. Bea said,

"It might be some sort of pass."

The red-eyed commando added,

"Or, a payoff. Either way, we've got to get to that barrio and find out what it is."

Julienne then tugged on her mother's clothes and said,

"Mommy, the man from the barrio was scared of the man in the coat."

Miriam relayed,

"Julie said that the man from the barrio was scared of your man in the coat."

The illusionist added,

"Come to think of it, it does remind me of something, although not necessarily related to the people you are looking for."

Leon said,

"I'm listening."  
Mirage explained,

"For the past few months, there has been some street talk about a new group of criminals making waves in Brazil. At the time, I thought nothing of it; gangs come and go in this country like the tides. But, these particular people seemed…possessed, like they were following a religion or something."

Crisis asked,

"Like a cult?"

Mirage nodded,

"Yes. It was…they had abducted some people and then displayed their bodies with unearthly symbols painted in blood on their chest and head."

Bea surmised,

"That was probably what caused the local militia not to get in the coat man's way."

As the former model continued to think of what it could mean, Leon looked up at the window and saw a brief flash of light from far away. His eyes widened and he yelled,

"SNIPER!"  
He pushed Miriam to the ground as a shot managed to hit the vase. Bea grabbed Julienne and the four of them had taken to the floor. Leon shook his head, shouting,

"Bea, get Mirage and Julie out of here!"

The shots kept firing and Crisis decided to draw attention to the sniper and let him take a shot. The shot hit Leon's chest and scalding burns started to course through Leon's body. The red-eyed powerhouse screamed in pain and clutched his chest as he fell down to the side. Julienne and Miriam got out, and Bea told them,

"We need to get out of here now!"

Miriam looked back,

"But, what about Crisis?"

Another shot and Crisis could feel his body in pain again. Leon looked back, motioning for the women to get out of there. He then looked out and tried to get a beat on the sniper. The red-eyed swordsman then got an idea; he had his light saber with him and unsheathed the blade. He then made himself a target and waited for the sniper to fire another bullet. When he did, Leon deflected it and it ricocheted back. Crisis did not know if he hit the sniper, but the shooting did stop. He then crawled over to the exit and just managed to get out of line of fire in case the sniper was waiting.

Bea came near him,

"Are you all right, Leon?"

Leon shook his head,

"I've been shot. How do you think I feel?"

He looked at Bea,

"You should be long gone by now. You shouldn't have waited for me."

Bea sighed and studied the wound,

"There is no bullet wound. It's not serious, but you will be off your feet for a few minutes."

She then channeled some of her powers and applied the blistering heat to the skin. Leon clenched his teeth, desperate to fight the pain. He then looked up at Miriam,

"Know any bad customers that would want you dead?"

Mirage shook her head,

"No, but do you suppose Julienne was the target? She did see them."

Bea nodded,

"It is a good possibility. We have to risk calling Fury and seeing if he managed to secure the safe house."

Just then, the fire alarm began to sound and crowds of people began to file into the hallways. Crisis, Fire, Mirage, and Julienne managed to get to cover in one of the rooms. Leon breathed deeply and heavily as he said,  
"It has to be the sniper's friends. They probably set the alarm system to lure us out."

Julienne asked,

"Mommy, what do we do?"

Miriam said,

"Julienne wants to know what we're going to do."

Beat snapped her fingers in realization,

"The church!"

The red-eyed commando looked skeptically,

"Bea, I doubt this is time or the place for you to discover religion."

The green-haired model glared at the red-eyed powerhouse,

"No, the church nearby. I know the priest there. He can keep us safe while you heal."

Leon shrugged,  
"Well, it's better than nothing. Know anyway to get there without attracting unwanted company?"

Fire smirked,

"You leave that to me."

Next Chapter:

Intergang's mastermind himself decides to make a dark deal with Libra's cabal in order to stop the Howling Commandos. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 6: The Chess Game 

Bruno Mannheim was the crime boss of Intergang. A ruthless, cutthroat individual, he headed one of the most feared, and technologically advanced, syndicates ever to be seen. His technology was fantastic, but, in reality, it was all merely technology from Apokolips. Mannheim had run off with Kanto in a desperate attempt to save himself. Though Darkseid later banished the former gang boss to the lower pits, Mannheim has mysterious returned to Earth in an attempt to reinstate his broken gang. Right now, he was talking with Libra, the man that brought him back to Earth,

"Where are those people you promised me, Libra? I trusted you!"

Libra looked back,

"I am in the midst of a delicate balancing act. I can assure you, however, that all will balance out in the end. Your problem with the Howling Commandos will be no more once it has been done. And, do not forget about yourself as well, Mr. Mannheim, and what the Crime Bible dictates."

The transmission ended and Loki chuckled,

"You turned a mortal criminal syndicate into a cult. I am impressed."

Mantis folded his arms in disgust and impatience,

"Well, what about the clones? When will my clones be ready?"

Libra looked at the scales and they were almost aligning,

"Soon, Mantis. Very soon."

**Meanwhile, in Brazil… **

Crisis, Mirage, and Julienne were near one of the exits. The red-eyed commando said,

"So, do you think Bea's ready with the distraction?"

In the front of the hotel, Beatriz looked around and smiled wickedly,

_Show time. _

She yelled out,

"HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIES!"  
With that, she flashed her breasts to the crowd. Immediately, all the men that were there were awestruck and stared dumbly at the now topless Fire. Some of the women looked away, while others started to beat their boyfriends or husbands with their fists. In a few moments, a full scale riot had taken place, and Bea quietly snuck through the crowd.

Inside, Leon could hear the sounds of glass breaking and shouting in Portuguese. He said,

"Well, that's our cue."

Mirage opened the door and helped Leon walk. They soon found Fire and reached the church, safe from possible Intergang agents. That was when Crisis sat down in one of the pews, in pain again,

"Whatever they hit me with, it hurts like hell."

Miriam asked,

"What was it?"

The commando answered,

"It felt like extremely high heat touching my skin. But, I know I saw bullets fired and one of them hit me. Whatever it did, it means I can be affected again."

He pulled his phone out,

"We'll have to contact Fury."

He clutched his chest and breathed deeply for a moment, trying to adjust to the pain. Miriam looked at the red-eyed commando,

"Are you sure you're all right?"

Leon winced a little and said,  
"I'll need a few minutes. Get Julienne to a safe place. Fire's going to be here in a minute anyway to meet this contact."

As the illusion making metahuman took her daughter to find the priest, Leon dialed his cell phone and called,

"Farrah?"

His breathing made the pain worsened, it seemed, but hearing Farrah's voice diminished the pain,

"Hey, stud. How's it going?"

Leon chuckled,

"Not as well as we had hoped…"

He clutched his chest and continued,

"We took some fire from a sniper and Fire distracted the gunmen so I could get away."

The were-cat got concerned,

"Are you sure you're all right? I could come-."  
Leon said,

"No, it's all right, Farrah. Fire and I can handle it. Listen, if there's a computer at your location, I need you to search about ritual killings in Brazil going back a few months. Better make it a year."

As the red-eyed powerhouse continued to talk, Bea slipped in and shut the door behind her. The green-haired model shook her head,

"Well, this brings back my modeling memories. Although, there were more cameras, and horny teens in those days."

She then saw Leon talking and decided to approach. Crisis said,

"…and be sure to look into any sort of major gang activity and cross-reference that with passport information. Thanks, Farrah. We'll meet you shortly."

He hung up and looked at Bea,

"So, where's this priest of yours, anyway?"

Fire pointed,

"In the rectory. But, we're going to have to hurry; I doubt our friends are going to stand by and let us say a prayer."

Suddenly, there was a feminine scream and both Fire and Crisis turned and heard Julienne scream. Both rushed in the direction and saw Fire's contact, a priest, in blood-stained robes, was holding a knife. Miriam was stabbed in the stomach and, though she was alive, she was bleeding. Julienne was backed into a corner and the priest was staring with malevolent intent, until he turned and saw the two meta-humans. He yelled,

"Glory be those that murder, for there is reward in taking the lives of innocence! So it is written in the Bible of Crime!"  
Leon blinked,

"Somehow, I doubt that was taught in Sunday school."

Bea looked at her teammate,

"You do know you were channeling Persiana, right?"

The red-eyed commando asked,

"It was that obvious?"

Next Chapter:

Libra finally allows the Red Skull and the remnants of Axis America to join forces with Bruno Mannheim. And, how will Fire and Crisis rescue Julienne and deal with the psychotic contact? Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 7: The Dark Sacrament Begins 

Leon stood as ready as he could,  
"I take it you aren't here for a confession."

The priest gleefully cackled,

"You shall here a confession. A confession…according to the Crime Bible!"

He lunged at the red-eyed swordsman, but Crisis was too fast and, as soon as the priest's back was to him, Crisis unleashed a devastating kick, snapping the priest's spine. The priest lay in a heap and Leon went to check on Mirage,

"Are you all right?"

Mirage looked up tiredly and whispered,

"Ju…Juli...Julienne…."

Julienne was near her mother,

"Mommy, don't go."

Miriam shook her head, speaking in Portuguese,  
"No, sweetie. I have to. Mommy…Mommy wants you to be…brave. Be brave for Mommy…"

With that, the illusion-making meta-human closed her eyes forever. Julienne began sniffling and crying, calling for her mother to come back. Leon looked down at the young girl and took his glasses off. A small tear trickled down his cheek and he placed his hand on Julienne's shoulder, taking her inside his coat. Fire shook her head, trying to fight back tears as well.

It was around this time that Fury was calling in,

"Crisis, are you there? Come in!"  
Leon sniffed a little and composed himself before answering,

"Yeah, I'm here."

Fury said,  
"The safe house is secure. You can bring Mirage in and we'll proceed from there."

Leon said coldly,

"Mirage is dead."

A short silence came as Leon waited for Fury to say something. The one-eyed soldier said,  
"All right, bring the girl. She has to know something."

Leon responded,

"Yeah."

He then switched off and said to the two women,

"We move out."

He looked down at Julienne and knelt near her, saying,

"We're going to have to go now, all right? You need to be brave, just like your Mommy told you to be. Can you do that?"

Julienne nodded, still wiping some tears down her face. She then hugged the red-eyed powerhouse and Fire smiled. Things were going to be all right.

**Meanwhile… **

Mantis was now standing before several large tanks filled with what seemed to be ordinary people. These people, however, were not ordinary. The insane megalomaniac folded his arms,

"And, what are these supposed to be?"

Libra said simply,

"The army that will bring balance and defeat to the Justice League."

Bruno looked at the tanks,  
"I can feel the energy from here. What did you do to them?"

The balance-seeking villain explained,

"Very simple. These people are some of the darkest, and most dangerous in the world and, with an infusion of the DNA we have been able to gather from key League members, we can use them and show just how corrupt the League is by duplicating their powers and abilities through these men and women. All that is needed is for the incantation from the Crime Bible. That will unlock the potential for all of them to succeed."

Bruno Mannheim nodded,  
"If I do this, will you then give me what is coming to me?"

Libra replied,

"Yes, you shall have your elite guard protecting you. I assure you; those that have been chosen will be the messengers of what is to come."

As the psychotic mobster walked over to the Crime Bible, Loki rubbed his hands evilly,

"Oh, this is truly going to be glorious."

The book was opened and Bruno began reading it. The book itself was as large as a phone book and ornately decorated with horrifying symbols and, as one was to study the ink on the pages, it was not really ink, but blood. Bruno raised his hands and began reading aloud passages, verses especially tailored to violence, darkness, and corruption of the innocent. At first, Bruno was speaking in English, but, as he read on, the language on the page seemed to change, into something that no human could decipher. But, from what was being said, and how, even in an alien tongue, it seemed to be truly maddening. Any sane person could feel the darkness from those words, even if they did not understand the language itself.

As the reading continued, a pool of dark water began forming in the tanks of each of the new soldiers for Libra's army. Some of them began to shout out; transforming into horrifying beings with incredible levels of darkness. One even mutated into a monster; a thing from the stuff of nightmares. Others began to change as well; many of them forming armor and weapons from their flesh. Familiar weapons and even more familiar flesh. The pain was excruciating, but they persisted. Despite this corruption, it was oddly giving them strength. Then, finally, the tanks all burst, one at a time. Libra applauded,  
"Excellent. It has been done."

He walked over,

"I have created the Mockeries, DNA-infused beings with many the powers and abilities of the Justice League members."

Mantis studied the first one,

"This one looks like Superman."

Libra nodded,

"It is Dark Superman, a mockery of him. He holds tremendous darkness and temptation that he does not wish to use."

He then walked over to the second,

"This is Dark Lantern, a mockery of the Green Lantern."

The one he was talking about looked to be in a containment suit of some kind, but he did have a green glow. It was not a familiar glow, twisted by Libra's experiments.

The next was a Dark Thanagarian, a woman who had hawk-like armor and a mace.

The fourth was Dark Firestorm, a man that looked very much like the real Firestorm, only with that same eerie glow.

The fifth was Dark Fury, a woman who looked like Big Barda, only with a darker armor and weapon.

The sixth was Dark Warrior, a man that looked like Orion, complete with the same weapon system as his counterpart.

And, the seventh, and arguably the most dangerous, was Dark Martian. Unlike the others that had some semblance of what the Justice League looked like, this one did not. He was a grotesque monster, lizard-like, anyway. He had a dark glare cast upon the others and he seemed to hiss. Libra then looked over to Mantis,

"Will this suffice?"

Mantis could not believe it. He was truly astounded at what Libra had done. But, he had to ask, "Will these seven defeat the Justice League?"

Loki smirked,

"When I add a sort of magical defense that their weakness cannot be exploited, yes, they will."

Mantis rubbed his hands evilly,

"Great! We invade at once!"

Next Chapter:

The Justice League gets a taste of the Mockeries and Mantis, and Crisis and the Howling Commandos follow a lead that takes them straight into the hornet's nest of Intergang! Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	8. Chapter 8

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 8: Rumors of War 

Fury was looking over the computer files when Crisis, Fire, and Julienne were entering the safe house. Satana was using her magic and redecorating the place,

"Ah, that's a perfect spot to put a torture rack. Now, only if there were something we could do with those plants…"

The demonic sorceress tapped her chin playfully for a moment before she snapped her fingers and chanted a spell. In a few moments, the two plants erupted into flames, becoming charred remains, yet, they did not seem to disintegrate. The half-succubus demon cackled,

"Perfect!"  
She then turned and saw Crisis and Fire, as well as the little girl. Satana then sulked,

"Oh, come on. You didn't say that you were bringing a four-year-old here. Now, who am I going to torture with this new thing?"

Julienne nervously got behind Crisis and Leon said sternly,

"Get rid of it, Satana. Now."

Satana waved her hand and the torture rack disappeared. The red-head then watched as the others went to meet Fury. She sighed angrily,

"Sometimes, I wonder what I see in these mortals."

Fury looked up from the computer,

"You're here and you're late."

Bea grumbled,

"Well, excuse me. Some of us had to fight psychotic priests who once thought they were reliable contacts."

The one-eyed soldier looked at the green-haired spy and shook his head,

"I don't care. Well, from what we were able to find in this place, the previous owner was a high ranking member of Intergang, and within Bruno Mannheim's inner circle. Besides money, I found some records relating to something called a Crime Bible."  
Satana quipped,  
"Sounds kinky. What do you think is in it?"  
Leon said,

"That's what the priest was rambling on about, something from a Crime Bible. Maybe it's a demonic text or something."

War Machine added,

"It's possible that, whoever reads it or hears its words goes insane and possessed."

Satana perked up,

"Possessed? I like it!"

Persiana rolled her eyes,

"I somehow knew you would."

Julienne listened intently and tugged on Leon's coat. The red-eyed powerhouse felt it and knelt down near the girl,

"What is it?"

Julienne whispered,

"The man in the coat showed a symbol and said something about a Crime Bible as well."

Leon nodded,

"I see."

Bea was surprised,

"You understood all that?"

Leon shrugged,

"One of the things you learn about being a former SHIELD agent is you always learn the language in the country you're going to. Plus, I picked up a few words here and there."

He turned back,

"Where was this?"

Julienne answered,

"The barrio in the southern part of the city. Local militias guard it and they are distrustful of strangers."

Fury nodded,

"We'll be careful."  
Deadpool clasped his hands over his mouth,

"Holy crap! Fury can speak Portuguese too! While we're sorting this out, let's take a moment and see how the League is doing against the mockeries!"

War Machine blinked,

"Does anyone want to know what's going on with him?"

Crisis answered,

"With Wade, it's best left unanswered."

**Meanwhile… **

The Mockeries were indeed attacking the Justice League. Dark Superman and the real Man of Steel were engaged in an aerial fist fight. The dark mockery cast a glowering look and unleashed a full blast of heat vision onto Superman. Superman dodged it and slammed a fist into Dark Superman, but the corrupted clone did not seem to be phased by it.

Elsewhere in the skies, Dark Lantern and Green Lantern Hal Jordan were squaring off as well. The Air Force test pilot dodged an emerald blast, shouting,

"Any idea who these guys are?"

Hawkgirl, who was back to back with Hawkman as they fought Dark Thanagar and Dark Firestorm, shook her head,

"Not a clue, but they'll go down hard."

She delivered her mace to the corrupt clone's face. It was a direct hit, but, as Dark Thanagar went down and hit the ground, she stood up and came right back at Hawkgirl. The avian warrior shook her head,

"But, that's impossible. I hit her dead on."

Dark Martian growled and hissed at Martian Manhunter. The alien telepath tried to scan his darker image, but there did not seem to be anything redeeming about what he was facing. It was as if someone had figured a way to channel the true darkness of a person into each of these corrupt copies. Martian Manhunter said,

"There is no redemption within them. They are possessed by the very evil they seem to draw their strength by."

Batman launched a fire bomb at Dark Martian and it made contact. However, the flames did little to stop this twisted clone, as it lunged at Martin Manhunter with full strength. J'onn tried to phase away, but it phased with him and applied as much power as it could, trying to kill the shapeshifter. Zatanna called in,

"Whatever they are, they've got some sort of magical enhancement protecting them."

The Dark Knight asked,

"Are they themselves magical?"

The tuxedo-wearing magician shook her head,

"Doesn't feel like it. Just some sort of magical aura around them. I'm going to try and-."

Suddenly, she screamed. Batman got worried,

"Zatanna! Zatanna, come in!"  
Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, sped to Batman, carrying the magician in his arms,  
"Mantis showed up and tried to disintegrate both of us. Just got out at the last second."

Captain America and Karen Starr, the heroine Powergirl, were doing battle with Dark Orion and Dark Fury. The two corrupt clones of the heroes Orion and Big Barda unleashed whatever weapons they could on the patriotic hero. When Dark Fury came down with her weapon, however, Cap blocked it with his shield and allowed an opening for Power Girl to slam a powerful blow into Dark Fury's jaw. Dark Fury went down and tried to get up, but Power Girl kicked her again and threw her into Dark Orion. The blonde looked at Captain America,

"Not bad. But, they're not going down."

Suddenly, the Mockeries seemed to disappear. And, if one were to look closely, the visage of the god of trickery Loki could be seen in a reflection on a window. It was the opening salvo in a war he planned to win…

Next Chapter:

Bruno Mannheim gets introduced to his four special bodyguards, courtesy of Libra. And, just in time, as the Howling Commandos knock at his front doorstep. Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	9. Chapter 9

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 9: Tactical Advantage 

It was a few hours later and, after Julienne explained to the Howling Commandos about the man she saw, and told them about the barrio that he went to, the others were just outside, surveying that very one. Satana had cast a spell over them, blocking them from the sight of the gunmen that were protecting this place. Leon adjusted his glasses and said,

"This place is a maze. We'll never find what we're looking for here."

Julienne was looking over the surveillance footage while Fury was bringing it up on the computer. Bea got a little worried,

"Shouldn't we find a safe place for her before we go in?"

Fury did not even look up,

"Got anybody in mind? The last guy that you wanted to find ended up trying to kill you."

The green-haired model said sternly,

"That was a miscalculation. It won't happen again."

The one-eyed soldier looked at the former spy for a brief moment before going back to the surveillance footage. Deadpool whined,

"Come on. It's been forever since I killed something! I want to kill something!"

Fury shook his head,

"You'll get your chance, as soon as we-."

Julienne suddenly tugged on Fury's shoulder and pointed at the screen,

"There! That's the man I saw."

As Fury enhanced the footage of the tape, he focused his gaze on the man in question,

"That looks like…The Red Skull!"

All eyes went to the old soldier at that point. Leon swallowed nervously,

"What? Are you serious?"

War Machine nodded,

"There's no question. The Red Skull is here, in Brazil, in that barrio."

Persiana poked her head outside and said,

"Now that we know that, do you think would be a good time to leave?"  
Satana asked,

"Why would we want to do that?"

Suddenly, a hail of gunfire caused all of the people inside to duck for cover. The white-furred lioness shrugged,

"Oh, no reason, except for maybe THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US!"  
Several gunmen had opened fire on the location of the recon base the Howling Commandos had set up. One of them directed two others go around and cover it from all angles. Troia powered up,

"Allow me to clear a path."

She stepped outside and walked with a purpose toward the first gunman. He opened fire with his assault rifle, but Donna deflected each bullet with uncanny precision and speed, even deflecting some of the bullets toward other gunmen. She then delivered a strong back-handed slap, sending the gunman through several shacks before being impaled on a broken wooden beam. Fury pulled out his gun,

"We need one of them alive to tell us where the Red Skull is!"

**Meanwhile… **

Bruno Mannheim was watching the events unfold through one of Libra's screens. Libra said,

"They do not know that balance will come to them. That balance will be in the form of your four horsemen, Mannheim."

The psychotic mobster looked on and shook his head,

"They're decimating my forces now! I didn't pay those guys to lose!"  
He said,

"We need to signal my horsemen now!"  
Libra shook his head,

"No. We wait for them to come to us."

Bruno snapped,

"Do you have any idea how much money I have tied up in this?"

Libra replied sternly,

"Do you know what you stand to lose besides money if you allow the horsemen out now? Patience, Mannheim. What you need is patience right now."

Bruno grumbled to himself and stormed out of the room,

"Screw this! I'm calling them!"

Libra got worried and raised his hand,

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that."  
A dark beam shot forth from the villain from Apokolips and slammed hard into the back of Mannheim. Mannheim collapsed and began writhing in pain,

"What…what are you doing to me?!"

Libra said coldly,

"Keeping balance and order, just as I always have. When the Howling Commandos come, the balance you will give to your horsemen will be enough to stop them."

He then slowly walked out, creating a Boom Tube portal and, as he was about to enter, he looked back and said,  
"Oh, and by the way, those enhancements I have given you will eventually kill you once your mission has been completed. As such, balance of power must be maintained."

He then disappeared, leaving a fuming and paralyzed Mannheim on the floor of his mansion…

Back to the Howling Commandos…

One of the members of Intergang was cornered against the wall as Crisis had hefted him off of his feet and held him against the wall,

"Where is Mannheim?"  
The scared Intergang member looked at the Howling Commandos that were near Leon and stammered,

"Puh-Puh-lease, don't kill me."

Deadpool shook his head,

"Buzz! Wrong answer!"

He pulled out a gun and was about to fire when, suddenly, something made Deadpool lose his weapon. The insane mercenary commented,

"What? Are you serious? Me, Deadpool, lose my gun! How dare you, Mr. Author Man?!"

He then looked at what he thought was a camera,

"You know what? You actually think this is entertaining, don't you? You, a lowly, immature, single author, treats me, Marvel's greatest property EVER, to be subjected to being ambushed by Batman! That was not inserted into my contract, and neither was getting the infamous Batman glare!"  
He turned around and Batman was glaring right at him. Deadpool looked at him and squinted his eyes,

"You know, I can so totally see your nose hair from here."  
He got punched for his troubles. Deadpool yelled,

"PUNCHED? NOW BATMAN IS GETTING CHEAP SHOTS IN!"

A second punch silenced the insane mercenary as he fell unconscious. The rest of the Howling Commandos all looked at the Dark Knight, and they all knew it was not going to be pretty…

Next Chapter:

What is Batman doing in Brazil, besides beating up Deadpool? Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	10. Chapter 10

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 10: An Unlikely Alliance 

Deadpool stood up from his unlikely attack,

"Now, hold on a minute! Since when does Batman get the drop on me? Just because he's dark and moody doesn't make him top bat!"

The insane mercenary then looked at what he thought was a camera,

"I bet it's those idiot fans that would just LOVE to see me, Marvel's greatest and never over-rated property, get thoroughly beaten by DC's most mediocre property! Huh! You sick bastards would like that, wouldn't you?! WOULDN'T YOU?!"

Crisis held his head,

"He's arguing with the voices in his head again."

Persiana shrugged,

"It could be worse. I could be the one going insane."

The red-eyed swordsman looked at his feline girlfriend,

"Going?"  
The cat-woman sulked,

"You're mean."

Fury barked,

"Enough side-tracking."

He then turned to the Dark Knight,  
"What are you doing here?"

Batman looked back at the one-eyed soldier,

"The same could be said of you, but I have a feeling I know why."

Fire quipped,

"Indulge us."

Satana licked her lips hungrily,

"Ooh, tall, dark and handsome has my attention."

She sauntered up to him and wrapped an arm around Batman, seductively whispering,

"Did I ever tell you black looks good on you?"

Batman did not even blink; as his gaze was squarely focused on Fury. Fury said,

"You want to know what I think? I think we're all here for the same reason; Intergang."

The World's Greatest Detective responded,

"We were attacked by Mantis and something he called Mockeries, corrupt clones of some members of the Justice League. Large money transactions were centered here, until they stopped. And, since you stopped it, it was easy to follow the trail you left."

The hostage then looked frightened as the conversation turned to that subject and tried to wiggle out of Crisis' tight grip. The blonde powerhouse looked back at their hostage and said,  
"He's trying to leave."

The hostage, speaking in a heavy Portuguese accent, said,  
"In-In-Intergang is…there."

He feebly pointed to a building on the top of the barrio, and he continued,

"The place…is…evil."

Bea was a bit confused,

"He said the place is evil."

Satana grinned,

"My kind of place."

Crisis said,

"Then, that's where we'll go."

He cast aside the hostage. Fury grunted,

"You're welcome to come with us, Bats…"

As he went to find Batman, however, the Dark Knight had seemingly disappeared. Deadpool groaned,

"Oh, come on! The infamous disappearing trick! You're going to continue the story with that! I want a big fight scene now!"

Fury ordered,

"Commandos, move out."

Crisis, Fire, Troia, and War Machine took to the skies, attempting to get ahead of Batman and trying to enter the building at the top of the barrio. The building itself seemed to be like the others in the barrio, but it was a little larger. The other Howling Commandos moved in on foot, and a fire-fight began. The local militia, no doubt paid for by Bruno Mannheim, had come out of hiding and fired their automatic weapons and other firearms at the Howling Commandos. Satana erected a barrier, the bullets bouncing harmlessly away. Deadpool led from the front,  
"FOR SPARTA!"  
He raised his sword and sliced each bullet that came his way with his swords before cutting down a local militia member in two. Persiana and Punisher delivered strong martial arts attacks, knocking out some of the militia members that came their way.

Batman had already entered the building when the fighting began. He tried calling in the League, telling them of the situation, when Crisis,, Troia War Machine, and Fire entered in with Batman. Leon shook his head,

"You know the others won't get here in time. Besides, the locals down there knew what they were signing up for."

Batman looked darkly at the red-eyed young man and Troia stepped in front of him, challenging,  
"You are not the only creature that can fight in the dark, Batman. I can as well."

The change came as Donna's hair started to be like a starry night, as well as her costume. The room grew visibly colder and Batman could see it getting darker. He wanted to activate his thermal vision and, but, as he did, it did not provide him with anything. He could not see in this type of darkness.

War Machine said,

"That's enough, Troia."

Troia dispelled the darkness and smiled,

"Remember what I can do, Batman. My sister likes you, and that is why I don't unleash the full pow-."

War Machine suddenly said,

"Movement detected!"

Suddenly, the floor gave way and the five of them were now free-falling. Crisis and the others tried to fly up, but they were caught in some sort of field, preventing them from flying. The floor dropped, to the point they all hit the ground hard. The floor now metal and, as they recovered, Bea was unconscious.

A dark voice said,

"So, we've captured a bat as well as the commandos."

That voice belonged to Bruno Mannheim, the head of Intergang. Besides him were his four horsemen; Red Skull, Hel, Ubermensch, and Zaladin. They all seemed normal, but Libra, who was watching from the shadows, knew that it was only an illusion, and that they had all been enhanced by the scientists on Apokolips. Crisis stood up first and took out his light saber,

"Mannheim. You're dead."

Bruno chuckled,  
"Really? From where I'm standing…

He suddenly began to grow tall. The high ceiling opened up and the mobster was now standing a total of 25 feet above the ground. His voice boomed,

"…you're dead, Crisis!"

Next Chapter:

As the rest of the Howling Commandos fight their way into Mannheim's lair, Crisis, War Machine, Troia, and Batman have to take on the might of Mannheim and his four horsemen! Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	11. Chapter 11

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 11: Brazilian Brawl! Part 1 

**On the surface… **

The majority of Intergang forces were coming out of hiding, unleashing everything they had against the Howling Commandos on the surface. Deadpool pulled out his swords,

"Now, this is my kind of story! The dashing Deadpool shall now save the day and chop off all of their heads!"

With blinding fury, the insane mercenary decapitated three Intergang soldiers without breaking a sweat. However, as he went for a fourth, this particular Intergang member unleashed a powerful blast from his eyes, burning a hole straight through Deadpool's body. Deadpool looked down and saw that he could stick his hand through the hole and said,

"You…suck…Mr. Author."

He then dropped to the ground, only to have Satana blast the Intergang member away,

"No one touches my husband like that!"  
Deadpool blinked,

"We're married? Oh, right; I married you.'  
He then realized in horror,

"O-M-G! I'm married to a succubus! Who's idea was that anyway?!"  
Punisher took out a machine gun and opened fire on several other Intergang members. The bullets did impact them and perforate them, but they still seemed to be coming closer. Persiana did a back flip and said,  
"They must be enhanced."

Deadpool rolled his eyes,

"Uh, no freakin' kidding! You think the author of this trash is going to make it easy for us to cut through all of these guys!"

Satana unleashed a massive fireball attack, incinerating many of the Intergang members in her vicinity. The half-demon clapped her hands, smirking,

"That was easy. I just hope Crisis and the others are having as much luck as we are."

**Meanwhile, inside the base… **

Troia narrowed her eyes,  
"Axis America."

She channeled a dazzling beam of light at Zaladin, but the reaper-like member of Axis America spun his scythe around, creating a shield from which the beam harmlessly deflected away. Red Skull's eyes glowed ominously as a green haze began to pour out of his mouth. Crisis shook his head,

"Oh, great. They've improved."

War Machine fired a missile, incinerating the gas. Batman took this opportunity and, firing a bat-line, swung across it and landed a hard kick to the chest of the Nazi commander. Red Skull was knocked back, but did not take any damage, or so it would seem. Ubermensch charged at Crisis, landing a punch stronger than before. His eyes were burning red with fury, almost a blind hatred. Crisis did his best to dodge or deflect the melee blows, but one got in and knocked the wind right out of Crisis's sails. The precognitive powerhouse was on his knees as Ubermensch was about to deliver a killing blow when Troia batted him away with a vicious back hand. Ubermensch went through a wall, and Hel came at the Amazon princess, wielding a large axe,

"For Axis America!"

Troia deflected the attack with her bracelets and shouted,

"You may dress like a Valkyrie, but you are not one of them!"  
The room began to grow colder and darker, and Bruno Mannheim knew what this meant,

"Oh, no you don't."

Thanks to his now massive height, he could see the battle take place. He focused on Troia and fired beams from his eyes. Crisis came in at the last second and deflected the beams with his light saber. He radioed in,

"Fury, we need everyone here! Fire's unconscious, and Axis America just got some enhancements! We need you now!"

Fury fired off a few shots, killing some Intergang members,

"We'll get to you as soon as we can."

He ordered the others,  
"Double time it now! Crisis and the others need our help!"  
Just then, the ceiling collapsed onto Bruno and, as the Howling Commandos, Bruno's horsemen, and Batman looked up, the Dark Knight said,

"I think help has arrived."  
Help had indeed arrived; the Justice League was now on the scene…

**Meanwhile… **

Libra had retreated from the fight and was busy communicating with Mantis,  
"Mantis, I need the Mockeries now! The balance of this battle has been disrupted by the Justice League and I cannot afford it to be so! Send them now!"

The insane New God cackled,  
"Of course, Libra; as soon as that Commando kills you."  
Libra blinked,  
"What are you-?"

Suddenly, two swords perforated his chest and, as Libra looked down, Deadpool chuckled evilly,  
"Lose your balance, Libra?"

Deadpool then looked at what he thought was a camera,

"Seriously? You make up for the fact that I got ambushed by Batman with this seriously lame line? Come on, I can do better. Let me see… I got it!"  
He then cleared his throat and said,  
"Your powers are weak, old man."

Deadpool grinned happily underneath his mask,

"Ah, nothing like a cliché line from Star Wars to help me get through a boring fic like this."

Persiana came down and watched Deadpool pull out the swords,

"Get goin', Wade. Crisis needs our help."

Deadpool declared,

"Well, as soon as the walking carpet does so, I shall!"  
He then stormed past the feline heroine. Farrah looked at the insane mercenary and shook her head,

"His meds must have worn off. Then again, there are no meds that actually work on that level of craziness."

Next Chapter:  
Brazilian Brawl continues as the Justice League and the Howling Commandos team up to stop the Mockeries and Intergang once and for all! Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	12. Chapter 12

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 12: Brazilian Brawl Part 2 

The body count had been heavy before the Justice League arrived on the scene. Superman saw the giant Bruno Mannheim towering over the Howling Commandos and proceeded to fly in and hit the Intergang boss in the jaw. The blow did hurt, but Mannheim fired beams from his eyes, flattening the Man of Steel to the ground below.

Crisis caught him at the last second and said,

"You've got great timing, you know that?"

Superman looked at the red-eyed young man and shook his head,  
"Are you making jokes again?"

Leon smirked,

"Farrah's a bad influence on me."

Just then, Zaladin came at them with his scythe. The two separated and Crisis looked at Superman,

"Magic. Watch it."  
The Last Son of Krypton just groaned at that.

Meanwhile, Fury and the other Howling Commandos that stayed on the surface were fighting their way through the complex. The one-eyed solider believed that, if the Red Skull and the others had such powerful enhancements, there might be a way to shut them down, or, at the very least, deactivate them. Persiana delivered a roundhouse kick to one of Intergang's soldiers,

"Now that I don't mind the fighting, but could we really hurry this up? I don't like the idea of staying one second away longer from my man than necessary."

Satana looked back and created a wall of hellfire behind her,

"That'll buy us some time."

Fury then kicked a door in and looked around,  
"Hey, Punisher!"

Castle walked up to him and Fury pointed,

"I think you could do something with this, right?"

The vigilante looked at the room full of weapons and nodded to himself,

"Oh, I think I can."

**The battle with Mannheim and the others… **

Wonder Woman was helping Troia battle Hel. The female weaponeer came at them both with two long swords, twirling them with expert proficiency and speed. Troia lashed out with a dazzling beam of light, intent on knocking down the imposter Valkyrie. However, when the beam connected, it only served to enrage Hel and came at them both with a blinding fury. She shrieked in rage and charged right at the younger Amazon princess. Donna got prepared to block, but Diana shook her head,  
"No one touches my sister."  
She slammed a fist hard into the powerhouse warrior, and then, with blinding speed, managed to incapacitate Hel with the lasso. Hel struggled to break free, and Wonder Woman held on for as long as she could, clutching her lasso tightly. Her hands were starting to cut the longer she was holding on, until Troia flew in quickly and landed a punch right on Hel's chin. The blow snapped Hel's head backwards, rendering her unconscious. Diana looked at her sister for a moment and noticed that, despite the assistance, there was something cold and distant in her eyes that almost seemed to make Donna different from what she was. Diana got concerned,  
"Donna? Donna, are you all right?"

She touched Troia's shoulder and Donna's head snapped up. The younger warrior looked at her sister for a moment, barely recognizing her. Then she nodded,

"Of course, sister. I am fine."

Crisis then got thrown between them as Ubermensch slammed his massive fists into the powerhouse commando. The red-eyed young man rolled with it, but rebounded on a wall and came back hard at the leader of Axis America, slamming him right into Red Skull. The Red Skull's eyes glowed red again and that same toxic nerve gas he was so infamous for began seeping out of his mouth again. Leon shook his head,  
"Oh, crap."

Suddenly, the wall came down on top of them both as War Machine fired two ballistic rockets at the Red Skull. He looked at his teammate,  
"They're taken care of."

Zaladin suddenly appeared and Crisis said,

"Yeah, but not him!"

Zaladin channeled an energy attack through his scythe and was about to unleash it when he was incinerated in a green flame. Fire had woke up at that moment and, though a little disoriented, managed to encase the now-undead Axis America member in green flames.

Bruno Mannheim was also having problems; Superman, J'onn J'onzz, and Hal Jordan were busy fighting the massive mobster. The leader of Intergang was now being telepathically and physically assaulted from all sides. His sanity was breaking as he unleashed some sort of stored energy with his new enhancements. Fury watched and ordered,

"Everybody out! It's gonna blow!"

Deadpool whined,

"And, I didn't even get to use my new toys!"

With seconds to spare, the Justice League and the Howling Commandos were driven out of Intergang headquarters by the large explosion. Though it was not nuclear, it was large enough for satellites and spy networks to locate it. That, and from every neighborhood in Rio de Janiero, it could be seen by everyone.

Including the Mockeries, as they began their descent into the South American city…

Next Chapter:

Brazilian Brawl continues as the League and the Howling Commandos face off against the Mockeries! Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	13. Chapter 13

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 13: Brazilian Brawl Part 3 

Superman folded his arms,

"Now, what were you doing here?"

Fury sarcastically remarked,

"We were here for Carnival."

Deadpool began dancing around,

"Ole!"

On his head was a hat made of fruit. Leon groaned to the sky,

"Wade."

Deadpool looked back,

"Oh come on! We've got a few minutes before the Mockeries and Mantis show up! Let's have a little fun!"  
Farrah raised her hand,  
"You know people in Brazil speak Portuguese and not Spanish, right?"

The insane mercenary blinked,

"They do? Then that means…"

He shouted skyward, placing both his hands on either sides of his face,

"YOU STUPID HOLLYWOOD IDIOTS NEVER GOT THAT RIGHT! YOU'RE MAKING PEOPLE THINK ALL OF SOUTH AMERICA SPEAK SPANISH, WHEN IT'S ONLY BRAZIL THAT SPEAKS PORTUGUESE!"

Punisher looked at the sword-using mercenary,

"Are you done?"

Wade took a deep breath and exhaled and then stood up straight,

"Yep! I'm done!"

Wonder Woman shook her head,

"Gods, he is annoying. But, back to Superman's question; why are you here?"

Leon explained,

"After Kasnia, we traced Red Skull here to Brazil and discovered some members of his Axis America team were getting weapons and upgrades from the Intergang branch down here. So, naturally, we did what any sane black ops team does when given this information-."

Deadpool interrupted,

"We presented them with pancakes!"

Everyone looked at the mercenary and he looked around,  
"No? Oh, that's right; we took out their top brass and hacked their files. Tee-hee, I even chopped up one with my swords."

Superman looked stunned,

"You killed them?"  
Fury shrugged,

"They were already indoctrinated with something called the Crime Bible. Apparently, it is…"

He looked back at the rubble and then to Superman,

"Or was part of their organization. It's some sort of demented scripture from Apokolips. Mannheim was working on it to create Intergang as some sort of cult worship, and not the kind for lame movies."

Deadpool nodded,

"That's right!"

He then looked at the one-eyed soldier,

"Did you just insult me? I think you just insulted me!"  
J'onn nodded,

"I did sense Mannheim's mind. It seemed as if he was being influenced by something extremely powerful."

The Man of Steel said sternly,

"It still didn't give you the right to go and do this."

Fire groaned, holding her head,

"What happened?"

She stood up uneasily and Ice went to help her up,

"You're hurt."

Bea shook it off,

"It's nothing. I'm all right."

Crisis adjusted his glasses and reached into his coat pocket for something. The other League members braced for an attack, but Leon seemed to pull out a slip of paper and handed it to Batman,

"All the information you need to know is at this address. You're not far from it, but I'd hurry there if I were you."

Suddenly, J'onn felt a telepathic disturbance,

"Mantis is here."  
A close explosion rocked the area, sending the League and Howling Commandos in all different direction. Mantis was above them, along with his Mockeries. Leon looked up and shook his head,

"Great. Him again."

As the rubble settled, it then erupted again. Zaladin, one of the Axis America members, emerged, still holding his scythe. Fury shook his head,

"Mantis isn't the only one."

Zaladin then began twirling his scythe and, after a few moments, a dark pool of energy enveloped the area where the Intergang base was. The pool was a sickly purple and black color, and Satana swallowed,  
"Oh, crap. This is bad."

Crisis drew his light saber,

"You know what he's doing?"

The succubus nodded,

"Yeah…"

Zaladin's pool of energy then disappeared and the dead Intergang members rose back to life, only as decaying corpses. The red-headed sorceress said,

"That."

Next Chapter:

Brazilian Brawl continues as the Justice League and Howling Commandos team up! Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	14. Chapter 14

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 14: Brazilian Brawl Part 4 

Libra was buried underneath some rubble as he slowly got to his feet. He held his head, feeling an intense headache from the fall. He had a gash through his costume, and he was bleeding. However, the villain from Apokolips was not to be outdone. He then watched the battle between the Mockeries and the combined might of the Justice League and the Howling Commandos…

Fury looked at Batman,

"Got a plan for this?"

The corrupted Superman flew fast, not holding his attack back as he punched his pure counterpart hard. The true Superman felt the blow, and Dark Superman was about to launch another attack when Crisis stabbed him in the back with his light saber. The Mockery looked down, but then felt a kick to his head as he rocketed back down to the ground. Leon shook his head,  
"Just what we need; more clones."

Zaladin channeled some sort of magic through his scythe and launched a dark energy beam at Troia. Troia deflected the attack with her bracelets and tried to counter with a dazzling beam of light. However, Zaladin merely deflected it with his scythe. The younger Amazon warrior was getting frustrated; it could turn into a stand-off.  
Deadpool cried out,

"Not if I can help it! There's not going to be a stand-off while I'm around!"

He jumped into the fray, hacking and slashing his way to the scythe-wielding member of Axis America. Of course, Deadpool had to cut through numerous, now deceased Intergang cultists.

Mantis cackled maniacally,

"You won't last! Not against the combined might of my Mockeries! This planet is mine! Mine!"

The psychotic New God launched a beam of anti-matter, creating a large shockwave. The blast threw many of the League members and members of the Howling Commandos in all different directions. Big Barda and Orion looked up just to see their dark counterparts coming at them and barely blocked their attacks. The Dark Warrior Mockery growled inhumanly and, charging up her weapon with dark light, unleashed powerful blow to Barda. Barda got thrown through a wall, and into one of the neighborhoods on the surface.

Orion charged in, roaring furiously into battle. He began pummeling his dark counterpart, beating him repeatedly in the hopes the dark creature would submit. But, as the Mockery was going to be beaten, Dark Thanagarian swooped down and hit the son of Darkseid with its mace. Mantis laughed,

"Hah! The son of Darkseid will be slain by my hands!"

He flew down and towered over Orion, pointing his hand charged with anti-matter,

"Beg for mercy, whelp!"  
The real Hawkgirl then suddenly swooped down and slammed her mace right on top of Mantis' head. Hawkman followed suit with his own mace attack, which sent the mad New God flying away. Orion looked at the two mace fighters and rubbed his jaw,

"I had him, you know."

Hawkman grinned,

"Yes, I could see that. You were lulling him into a false sense of security."

The Dog of War growled something fierce under his breath.

Fury fired an automatic rifle at the now undead cultists,

"This is getting out of hand! Somebody has to get to Zaladin and shut off that magic!"

Satana grinned,

"Got it!"  
She channeled a hellfire bolt and hurled it at Zaladin. However, the cloak around the scythe wielding Axis America member began to envelop around him and deflected the blast at Dark Lantern. Dark Lantern had his back to the blast when he got hit, incinerating him instantly. Hal looked down at the red-headed sorceress and shrugged,

"Hey, a win's a win in my book."

He turned and saw the Martian Manhunter in a locked struggle with the Mockery Dark Martian. Unleashing a dazzling beam of emerald light, Hal hit the dark alien with the beam and it ripped apart the Dark Martian. The Dark Martian turned and went straight for the Air Force pilot. In an act of desperation, Hal encircled a barrier of green flames around himself. Oddly enough, the Dark Martin froze in what amounted to be sheer terror and backed away. This was an opening as Fire saw it and fired a blast of fire, reducing the Dark Martian Mockery to cinders. Hal shouted,

"Hey, guys! These things have weaknesses! It's like fighting us!"

Batman pulled out a piece of Kryptonite upon hearing this and began to approach Dark Superman. The Mockery of the Man of Steel turned and began to be repulsed away by the Kryptonite. The Dark Knight then said,  
"Wonder Woman, he's vulnerable now!"

The Amazon warrior swooped down and ensnared the Mockery with her lasso. The Mockery of Superman began struggling to get out of his entanglement, but it was to no avail. Finally, after having absorbed enough radiation from the Kryptonite, the dark clone of Superman seemed to disappear.

Mantis was furious. His creations, his army, were being decimated. He roared at the top of his lungs,  
"NO! I WILL DEFEAT YOU, JUSTICE LEAGUE!"

He channeled a blast of anti-matter at Superman, in the hopes of being legendary in his own mind. But, just as he was about to launch the attack, Martian Manhunter reached into his mind and delivered a strong, psychic probe, attempting to short out the insane New God's mind. Mantis was knocked unconscious.

Persiana ducked and kicked another undead cultist and was about to leap at another one when, suddenly, a large portal opened. Barda narrowed her eyes,

"It's a Boom Tube."  
The Boom Tube appeared Mantis, Zaladin, and some of the Intergang cultists disappeared through it. Hal scratched his head,

"Uh, does anybody know what just happened?"

Leon looked around,  
"It appears someone rescued them."

Barda folded her arms,

"Or Mantis retreated. He always was a coward."  
Deadpool sheathed his swords,

"Hah! The universe was saved today! By me, Marvel's Greatest Property!"

He stood stoically atop a mound of corpses belonging to the cultists. Batman narrowed his eyes,

"There's still the rest of Intergang to deal with."

The detective then looked down at the piece of paper and said,  
"I need to take care of something."

Superman turned and asked,

"What is it?"

Fury shrugged,  
"I wouldn't worry about it, Boy Scout. Right now, we gotta run. I'm sure you can clean up the mess."

Satana said in a mockingly appalled voice,

"You mean, we're going to leave them to clean up our mess? Nicholas Fury, I'm stunned!"

J'onn added,  
"She is right. You could give us a broom to sweep this all under the rug."

Everyone turned to the green-skinned Martian hero. J'onn blinked,

"Was that an appropriate joke?"  
The white-haired feline acrobat grinned,

"Good one."

Next Chapter:

As the League and Commandos continue to hunt down the rest of the Intergang cult, one League member loses their life! Stay tuned, fellow readers!


	15. Chapter 15

**Corrupting Influence **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis. _

Chapter 15: Corruption of Conscience 

Mantis looked around, as well as Zaladin and several of the cultists that had managed to be teleported away. They were on Apokoplips. The insane New God shook his head,

"No! No! No! I had them! The Mockeries, my Mockeries, were winning!"

He angrily lashed out at the cultists, vaporizing them with anti-matter, as well as Zaladin. Mantis then looked around,  
"Who did this? How dare they! I was on the cusp of greatness!"

A booming voice said,  
"No, you were not."

Mantis angrily whirled around, surprised,

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The voice continued,  
"You know who I am, Mantis."

As Mantis began to process what the voice was talking about, he then had a horrible feeling he knew who it was.

Darkseid.

Mantis shouted,

"You can't be Darkseid! He's dead! Apokolips belongs to me now!"  
A dark figure emerged from the shadows, with an all stone body. His visage was similar to that of Darkseid, but much different. He folded his rocky arms and said,  
"Is he now?"

Mantis looked on in aghast and shook his head,

"But, you…you were imprisoned! How could you have escaped?"  
His question was unanswered as he received a blast from the Omega Beams. Darkseid showed no mercy as he unleashed his full power against Mantis. Mantis did his best to counteract the effects of the beams, but, unlike before, where he could, somehow, his powers were being negated by this new force. Though he was still alive, he was burned and he lay in a blistering heap. Darkseid then turned to a Parademon and said,

"Give this to the good doctor. He will want to study Mantis."  
The Parademon saluted and called on its fellow brethren to carry off Mantis to some sick experimental lab on Apokolips. Darkseid then watched and sat down on his throne, having taken his rightful place as ruler of Apokolips.

**Meanwhile… **

Fury looked at the others Howling Commandos,  
"As far as I'm concerned, it's over. Intergang's been stopped."

Superman looked at the one-eyed soldier sternly,

"At the expense of innocent lives. You're going to answer for this."

Satana whined,

"Do we have to? I mean, it's not like they mattered."

Leon rolled his eyes and looked at the Man of Steel,

"For what it's worth, there could be more of these cults we don't know about. The thing we have to do is find the Crime Bible and destroy it. It's probably what's causing all of this behavior in the first place."

Wonder Woman asked,

'And, where would we find it?"  
Farrah quipped,

"My guess; underneath that."

She pointed with a jerk of her thumb at the rubble. Superman then looked at Crisis,

"Do you even care about what happened to these people? You don't know if there was a way to reverse the indoctrination."

Leon shook his head,

"I doubt there was. These people weren't just victims; they were volunteers. And, besides…"

He began to get defensive,

"In the event there was no way, and we decided to take them alive, they would only perpetuate the Intergang philosophy."

The Flash nodded,

"Makes sense."

Guy Gardner growled,

"It still doesn't excuse what you did!"

Fire said coldly,

"I think it does. Besides, Guy; you're still pissed about the fact that he can use a yellow ring."

The red-eyed powerhouse grimaced,

"Oh, please don't bring that up. It still gives me the creeps I can do it."

As the discussion ranged on the next course of action, unbeknownst to all of them, Libra was struggling to his feet. He hid himself well, tapping into the Crime Bible's unholy power. He placed the book on the ground and put his hand through it. A mystical portal opened and the villain from Apokolips grasped at something. He pulled it out of the unholy scripture and hefted it onto his shoulder. It was a spear, shining in gold and flames. Libra, though still weak and injured from the battle, staggered and steadied himself. He focused with the spear in his hand and, with a mighty yell, threw it as hard as he could. Libra shouted,

"DIE, MAN OF STEEL!"  
The spear sailed through the air. Superman turned and could see the magical weapon coming at him. He tried to move, but found himself paralyzed. Somehow, this weapon keeping him frozen in his place, and he looked on in fright as it came hurtling at him. With the speed it was coming in, most of the League members did not see it take place. But, one did. And, that one cast Superman aside and took the blow himself.

That one was J'onn J'onzz.

The spear was embedded into his body and the other League members saw J'onn on the ground, with the spear in his chest. Crisis saw Libra and sped after him, delivering a strong kick to his chin. Farrah covered her mouth in horror and watched as J'onn became consumed by the fire. Superman grasped the spear in the hopes of stopping it from consuming J'onn. Even the shaft was unearthly magic and, as Superman grasped it, it burned his hands. Determined to save his friend, however, Superman pulled the weapon out and threw it aside. But, it was too late.

The Martian Manhunter's body was consumed by flames.

Libra felt the blow to his chin and, as he got up, he felt a punch from Crisis. Leon was mad. Though he did not know J'onn, he knew Libra had to be stopped. Now, more than ever. And he was. Libra would never bother the League again. Crisis made sure of that. Libra then looked up at the red-eyed young man and felt his breathing getting heavier and more labored. The last thing he saw was a white light at close range.

**Meanwhile… **

Batman was at the location Crisis gave him. The place was a decrepit slum house and, as he looked inside, he noticed Julienne, huddling in a corner. She looked up, her eyes were wide with fear. Bruce extended his hand out and said,

"It's all right."

Julienne looked for a moment at the hand, and then at the man. Though he looked scary, the daughter of Mirage knew this was a man she could trust. She took her tiny hand into his and, as the two left, they noticed the white explosion. Batman called in,

"What's going on?"

It was Wonder Woman that gave him a somber answer,  
"It's J'onn, Batman. He's dead."

End of Corrupting Influence


End file.
